If you want to touch a nerve in Christian circles, bring up the subject of schooling.
Public school? Christian school? Homeschool?
Everyone seems to have a strong opinion that they’re eager to share.
For the people against public schools, the argument usually goes something like this:
Public schools are brainwashing our kids in leftist ideology and atheistic philosophy, which will inevitably lead them to abandon their faith after graduation.
Obviously, that’s a danger.
But here’s the open secret not many Christian school educators talk about: Christian schools don’t necessarily fix the root problem.
Why strong doctrine doesn’t always produce strong disciples
The typical Christian school reminds me a lot of the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-5. These students often receive solid doctrine and a strong education, but they’ve “forsaken their first love.”
Many Christian teenagers in far too many Christian schools have been inoculated to the truth of the Gospel. They have just enough of it to ward off a full infection.
As a preacher, one of the hardest places to preach is not in some anti-Christian, restricted country. No, the hardest places I preach are in typical Christian high school chapels.
I remember preaching at one in Arizona. Before I got up to preach, the high school girl sitting next to me asked, “Do you like preaching at Christian schools?” I said, “No.” She asked “Why?” I responded, “Because it would be easier to preach to a room full of armed Satanists.”
She paused for a moment, smiled, and said, “You’re right.”
No guarantees
At the same time, I know many public school teenagers who are on fire for Christ and bold witnesses on their campuses. They view themselves like teen Daniels in Babylon or Esthers in Susa, shining the light in dark places. (Just like my wife, who shined the light of Jesus as a public school teacher at the same school for almost 30 years!)
Just because you send your kids to a Christian school does not guarantee they will serve Jesus, and just because you send your kids to a public school does not guarantee they will rebel against Him.
Now, I’m not anti-Christian school. As a matter of fact, I graduated from a Christian school, and so did my kids. I thank God for the solid education from a Christian worldview that I received and that my kids received. I really do!
But I also recall the frustration of being an on-fire-for-Christ student surrounded by classmates who were spiritually lukewarm. In many ways, it felt harder to serve Christ there than in public school.
I also remember my daughter’s frustration when she would come home from her Christian school and ask us, “Why don’t other students take their faith seriously? Why don’t they worship during chapels? Why do they curse in the hallways? Why do they party on the weekends? Why don’t they care about evangelism?”
So, “homeschooling to the rescue!” some will say. And while that’s a great solution for some, it doesn’t guarantee your child will follow Jesus. It also isn’t realistic for everyone, because each situation presents a unique dynamic.
So what do we do?
Five biblical practices for parents to consider
1. Pray relentlessly.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-10
Whether you choose public school, Christian school, or homeschool, pray relentlessly for your kids to know Christ and grow in Christ.
Only God can flip on the proverbial switch in their souls, so intercede on their behalf and never stop.
2. Squeeze the sponge.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20
Imagine pouring a pitcher of milk into a sponge until it’s soaked full. That’s the typical discipleship strategy in many Christian schools: “As long as we pour in enough biblical knowledge, everything will be fine,” they assert.
Not true. A sponge that is never squeezed spoils.
Most Christian schools pour in gallons of biblical worldview, theology, and Bible study, yet have little to no strategy to activate students to share the truth they’ve been given.
That’s why the hallways often smell like “spoiled milk.” Knowledge without mission becomes stagnation.
Equipping teenagers to share their faith is crucial for their growth. As Philemon 1:6 reminds us,
…and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
If we want them to grow, we must help them go!
Jesus forever connected evangelism and discipleship in Matthew 4:19 when he said:
‘Come, follow me . . . and I will send you out to fish for people.’
3. Take responsibility.
These are the commands, decrees, and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children, and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all His decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Deuteronomy 6:1–2
You can’t outsource spiritual development.
It starts at home.
It starts with mom and dad.
Demonstrate what an on-fire-for-Christ life looks like. Model for them what it means to “squeeze the sponge.” Have deep conversations daily. Shepherd their hearts. Help them discern truth from lies.
That’s your job.
Most on-fire-for-Jesus teenagers I know—public, private, or homeschooled—come from on-fire-for-Jesus parents.
4. Focus on relationship, not on rules.
Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 2:20–3:2
Christian school rules are necessary, but they can easily become a cheap substitute for a vibrant relationship with Christ.
Having gone to a legalistic Christian school myself, I can say in full confidence: Legalism breeds hedonism (or more legalism!).
Instead, we must help our teenagers fix their eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and set their minds on things above (Colossians 3:2). We must relentlessly encourage them to cultivate a relationship with Jesus that flows out of His love for us, beyond just complying with rules.
5. Refuse to judge other parents for their choices.
You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. Romans 14:10
Far too many Christian parents judge other Christian parents for making different choices about how they school their children.
Every parent has to make their own decisions before God, seeking His direction as they navigate their own set of circumstances.
Wherever you choose to send your kids, do so prayerfully, with eyes wide open.
Public school brings one set of challenges.
Christian schools bring another.
Homeschooling brings its own.
But most importantly, remember you are the greatest spiritual influencer on your children.
Seek first His Kingdom—and God will give you the wisdom you need. Look to Him, and He will guide you every step of the way!
This article originally appeared on GregStier.org and is reposted here by permission.